Redeeming Eden

I began a 21-day vision journey a few days ago—taking time intentionally each day to seek the fulfillment of the dreams God has placed in my heart.  I was inspired by a number of sources, but the main motivation for the journey was from this blog post by Holley Gerth.  

I’m struck by the travail that often occurs when we seek to see our God-ordained dreams satisfied.  Sometimes the fruition takes years of time, hard work, trials of all types.

We think that because the dreams are from God the realization of them will be
quick,
painless,
easy. 
Sometimes it is.  God is gracious.

But sometimes redemption is difficult.  That’s what our God-designed dreams mean, after all—redemption.  Working with God to bring about His vision for restoring a fallen world. 

And yes,
     even here,
          God is gracious.

Ever since the Fall, God has worked in Creation to show us the grace of His sovereign plan despite our depravity and apart-from-Him uselessness. 

He has placed hopes, 

plans,
ideas in us
that would never come to us,
     from us,
unless by His divine intervention in our existence. 

Think about it:  Most of our God-sized dreams aren’t really about us.  They’re about the next generation, making Creation better, innovation, reconciliation, and so on, and so on.

We couldn’t come up with these visions on our own if we tried our best and hardest from now until our dying day.  We’re too far gone but for His grace and His grace-breath within our hearts.

In Luke 2:25ff, we find the story of Simeon,
who held
     his long-awaited,
          God-initiated dream
               in his hands. 

At some point during
the 400 years of silence on the part of God toward Israel,
when the prophets and priests heard nothing from YHWH Adonai,
and Emmanuel was not yet with us,
God had whispered
     His vision
          to Simeon’s willing heart.

Simeon, longing for consolation, the Consolation of Israel, 

     redemption and Emmanuel,

must have prayed and prayed for God to show Himself mighty in Israel’s midst.  

Was he ever discouraged as he awaited the fulfillment of the visions God had spoken through Isaiah and the other prophets in centuries past? 

And then…one day…one day, the Spirit of God revealed that Salvation would arrive in Simeon’s own lifetime.  That still, small Spirit-movement had to ring as loud as a shout in Simeon’s ears, so accustomed to God’s silence. 

Yes,
the dream was placed in his heart,
to be pondered,
anticipated,
eagerly awaited. 

We aren’t told how long he waited, but he was ready and willing when the time to meet Messiah was at hand.

When the time came,
     all Simeon had to do was
          enter the Temple,
          find the infant ordained TheLordSaves,
          proclaim the Word of Most High God over Him and His parents. 
     Prophesy. 
Publically break the silence that had been
          privately broken in his heart and the hearts of Mary and Joseph. 
Give voice to the vision.

What if Simeon’s heart had never been open to hearing God’s voice or to repeating what he knew? 

What if he had given up on God’s promise? 

What if he had been afraid to enter into the Redemption of Creation? 

What if he had become impatient
     and charged into the Temple on any other day
to declare God’s Word over an infant unworthy of the appellations
     YHWH Adonai’s Salvation, Light for Revelation and for Glory?

The waiting on the Lord
     and the striving toward completion
          are worth the Glory that will be revealed
               as God calls us to our roles in Redeeming Eden.